Fuel for automotors



Patented Mar. 29, 1927.

UNITED" STATES EDWARD F. CHANDLER, OF BROOKLYN NEW YORK.

rum ron AUTOMOTOBS.

Io Drawing.

This invention relates to liquid fuels for use in internal combustion engines. More particularly this invention pertains to 1mprovements in gasoline or light petroleum distillate for use in automotors.

The primary object of the present inventionis to adapt ordinary, commercial gasoline, such as generally offered in the market as motor fuel, for more efficient and satisfactory use in the internal combustion motors of automobiles and other automotors, by

, improving combustion, increasing operating efliciency, reducing the formation of carbon monoxide and other obnoxious gases in the exhaust,-and reducing the deposit of carbon which now attend the operation of gasoline explosion motors.

Other objects will more fully appear during the course of the following description,

chemical composition. While hexane, 0 H

may be regarded for the purposes of the present invention as typica of good gasoline, it is well known that wide variations from this standard may be found 1n the market, owin to varying quantities of a number of di erent constituents. The term gasoline as emplofid during the course of this description must therefore be understood as meaning thewidevariety of light petroleum distillates which aresold and used under this name, and which may vary all the way from a density 0.640 to 0.730, or even more. ll

In a general way,'it may be stated that the feature which characterizes gasoline as corn pared with kerosene and other heavier distillates, is its volatility, which should at all times be sufficient to permit starting of a motor cold, under all ordinary conditions of temperature,

The enormous development of the automobile in recent years, has made it diflicult for the supply of motor fuel to keep up with Application filed December 23, 1924. Serial No. 757,731.

the demand. Much study and effort have consequently been devoted to the production of fuels having compounds other than gasoline as a basis, but gasoline still represents the great bulk of the fuel used. However, the great consumption of this product has led to the gradual introduction in the market of lower, or heavier grades, which have manifold increased the problems arising from knocking of the engine and from the formation of carbon deposits on engine. parts, as well as-from the production of an excessive amount of carbon monoxide in the exhaust.

Much study has therefore also been given to the blending of gasolines from different sources in order to improve the fuel qualities and to cheapen the cost of production, and so as to yield fuels approximating in (fflosest degree to the requirements of an ideal uel.

for internal combustion en ines, filed by me November 21, 1924, erial Number 751,398, I have discussed at length the probable causes of various difliculties in motor operation directly attributable to the nature and composition of the fuel used. From the same it would appear that knocking of an engine where a hydrocarbon of the paraffin series is used as a fuel, is mainly due to a too In another patent application for ,Fuels- With certain other fuels,- the presence of carbon deposits may be noted even when there is sufficient oxygen available for complete combustion, and in such cases this result may be due to a low ratio of hydrogen in proportion to carbon, and to the resulting ow temperature of combustion. i

The deficiency of oxygen may be corrected by the addition to the fuel of a compound, such as tetranitromethane, C(NO containing sufficient oxygen in excess of that required v its carbon constitutent, to improve the combustion conditions of the mixture. This method forms the object of two patent applications previously filed by me, i

one entitled Motor fuels, filed October 8' 1924, Serial No. 742,428, and the other enand therefore a less quantity of combined altitled Fuels for heat engines, filed October 1a, 1924, Ser1al No. 743,636.

In my other patent application previously referred to, I have explained how the tendency to detonate and the deficiency of oxygen can be corrected at the same time by blending the fuel with substances decreasing the percentage of fuel elements'of the fuelair mixture, at the same time increasing the supply of thermal diluents present; at times increasing also, not only the relative, but also small percentage of kerosene, dimethyl ketone, and water, with or without a small percentage of tetranitromethane or other suitable oxidizing agent.

Ihave found that by adding alcohol to this mixture, I am enabled to decrease the ratio of dimethyl ketone used, thus to a certain extent reducing the cost of production of the fuel. I am also enabled to decrease the percentage of water, realizing a notable gain in the volatile qualities of the fuel, and at the same time increasing its volumetric efficiency, owing to the high latent heat of vaporization of the alcohol, the usefulness of which is enhancedby the high volatility of the mixture.

The contents of hydrogen and carbon of alcohol are lower than in dimethyl ketone,

cohol and dimethyl ketone is needed to decrease the fuel contents of the fuel-air mixture, than if dimethyl ketone only is used. In thlsrespect methyl alcohol, CH OH, is

,to be preferred to ethyl alcohol, C H OH,

being also more volatile; but under present conditions ethyl alcohol can be obtained at a somewhat lower price, and considerations of cost will therefore influence the selection of one rather than the other alcohol in various cases.

Alcohol has the tendency to increase the range of fuel-air explosive mixtures, therefore producing a more flexible fuel than ordlnary gasoline; it also has the tendency to improve the power output when rich mixtures are used, owin to the increase in mean pressure due to its atent heat of vaporizaion.

In addition to these advantages, alcohol also has a very low freezing point, and acts as an anti-freezing element 1n the mixture.

A typical mixture compounded according to the present invention comprises:

Parts by weight.

However, if the alcohol used is ethyl instead of methyl alcohol, I prefer to reduce the proportion of water 'to 6 parts, adding one part of tetranitrometh'ane or other suitable oxidizing agent.

By including both gasoline and kerosene under the denomination of petroleum distillate, various mixtures may be prepared with these ingredients varying between the following proportions:

Petroleum distillate, from 60 to 90 parts; dimethyl ketone, from-1 to 20 parts; alcohol, from 2 to 30 parts; water, from 1' to 10 parts; tetranitromethane, from 0 to 5 parts.

The specific functions of the dimethyl ketone, which may be assisted into the solution by kerosene when needed, are the decrease of the hydrogen contents of the mixture as a whole, reducing the tendency to detonate due to an excessive amount of hydrogen, as well as to an excessive temperature of combustion. At the same time, as a consequence, this ingredient also acts toward reducingthe deficiency of oxygen in relation to the fuel This substance is a iquid having a very good volatility, and will not tend to decrease the volatility of the gasoline. Another advantage of this ingredient is that, being an excellent solvent of carbon, while not contributing towards the prevention of the formation of carbon deposits, it will however ca remain in solution, and to be readily expelled with the exhaust.

Owing to this property, the further addition of a combustion supporter to counterbalance a possible remainin oxygen, is therefore optiona, in so far as prevention of carbon deposits is concerned.

Water assists the other in edients in adding its diluting action to re uoe the percentage of fuel elements in the fuel-air mixture, and in introducing a powerful thermal diluent; this reduces the tendency'to detonate, the temperature of combustion, and heat losses from various causes. The presence of water vapor therefore permits the retention in the mixture of a greater proportion of hydrogen than would otherwise be possible, without detonation. The water vapor has also been found beneficial in exerting a scavenging effect, and in assisting in the prevention 0 carbon deposits.

whatever carbon may be formed to deficiency of Theaddition of tetranitromethane has for itsprimary object to furnish some additional oxygen to further improve combustion conditions, incidentally also providing additional nitrogen acting as a thermal diluent,

come a factor of sufficient importance.

It is obvious that ether, which indirectly also acts as a combustion supporter by decreasing the percentages of the fuel elements, and by increasing the supply of oxygen, and which also has a high vapor tension, may be used instead of tetranitromethane to improvethe volatility of the fuel mixture.

I claim:

1. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of gasoline, dimethyl ketone, alcohol, and water.

2. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixtureof gasoline, kerosene, dimethyl ketone, alcohol, and water.

3. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a dimethyl ketone, alcohol, and water.

4. A liquid fuel adapted for use in .an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of petroleum distillate, dimethyl ketone, alcohol, water, and a combustion supporter containing oxygen in excess of that required by the combustion of its own combustible elements.

5. A liquid fuel adapted for use in. an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of petroleum distillate, dimethyl ketone, alcohol, water, and tetranitromethane.

6. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of petroleum distillate from 60 to 90 parts, dimethyl ketone, from 1 to parts, alcohol, from 2 to parts, and water, from 1 to 10 parts.

7. A liquid fuel adapted for use in'an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of petroleum distillate from 60 to 90 parts, dimethyl .ketone, from 1 to 20 parts, alcohol, from 2 to 30 parts, water, from 1 to 10 parts and a combustion supporter.

' 8. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of petroleum distillate from 60 to 90 parts, dimethyl ketone from 1 to 20 parts, alcohol from 2 to'30 parts, water from 1 to 10 parts, and tetranitromethane from'O to w 5 parts. q

9. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of gasoline, 72 parts by weight, kerosene, 3 parts by weight, dimethyl ketone, 6 parts by weight, methyl alcohol, 12

parts by weight, and water, 7 parts by weight.

10. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of gasoline, 72 parts by weight, kerosene 3 parts by weight, dimethyl ketone 6 parts by Weight, ethyl alcohol 12 parts by Weight, water 6 parts by weight, and tetranitromethane 1 part by weight.

EDWARD F. CHANDLER. 

